12-30-2013 - Reno-Stead Airport is Ready to Land New UAV Development

Reno-Stead Ready to Land New UAV Development

Reno-Stead Airport is ideally positioned to be Northern Nevada’s center for UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) development, following the Federal Aviation Administration decision to name the State of Nevada as one of the official test sites for the new technology.

The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, the owners and operators of Reno-Stead, have worked closely with the Governor’s office to include Stead as a key location in the state application to attract UAS technology development to Nevada. Stead is a 5,000 acre general aviation airport that was a former U.S. Air Force base. In recent years, it has hosted both private and military research projects.

“The Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority is honored to help develop the next generation of aviation technology, and policies that will respect privacy concerns, while bringing jobs and economic benefit to our entire region,” Marily Mora, President/CEO of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, said. “We look forward to working with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, the University of Nevada, Desert Research Institute and the private sector to develop Reno-Stead and Northern Nevada into a UAS research and development center.”